ZZ plant is just so E-Z to grow

By Erle Nickel :
December 27, 2009

Attention all you plant lovers who not only don't have a green thumb but are prone to the dreaded "black thumb." I have just the plant for you, and to make things sweeter, it's one of the coolest plants for your home. Its botanical name is Zamioculcas zamiifolia, but those in the know simply call it the ZZ plant.

What makes this member of the arum family - which includes philodendrons, peace lilies and caladiums - so perfect for your gardening-challenged friend is that it will grow in any part of the house, even in very low light, and it needs watering only once a month. The thick, waxy leaves are a shiny green and always look perfect. People have seen this plant in malls and had to touch it to see whether it was real. The bases of the plant's multiple stalks are swollen, from which stems host dark green, 4-inch leaves.

The ZZ plant requires very little water because it grows from a large tuber similar to a potato that stores water every time the plant is watered. This tuber acts like a little reservoir, giving up its water as the plant needs it. ZZ plants are also called the eternity plant because they seem to just keep going and going.

Did you know?

Those of us of a certain age are well acquainted with the Texas band ZZ Top. Whenever I introduce someone to the ZZ plant, I always think of this band. Not to be outdone, here are a few other plants that invoke popular bands or have their own theme song. That would include the Dave Clark-ia Five; juncus, otherwise known as the Canadian hard rock group Rush; and ilex species, which collectively would be known as the Hollies. For songs, I hear Sam Cooke when I see a Cupid's dart (catananche); baby blue eyes reminds me of the Stray Cats; Heliotropium arborescens is known as 'Cherry Pie' (Sade); Euphorbia milii invokes Pearl Jam with its common name, crown of thorns; while Morrissey made black-eyed Susans better known. For guitar - and flower - aficionados, there's Bruce Cockburn's lovely instrumental "Foxglove."

Cultivation

Grow indoors in indirect light. Drainage is essential for this plant. Use a 50-50 mixture of light planting mix and either pumice or sand. These plants actually benefit from being a bit root-bound, so you can keep it in the store pot for quite some time, especially since they are slow-growing plants. Propagate from cuttings, but bear in mind it may take new plants quite a long time to develop their own tuber. Plants can eventually reach 3 feet in height and have a spread of 2 feet. The main threat to ZZs is overwatering. I suggest picking the same date each month to water.

Pests & diseases

Insect pests seem to take no interest in the ZZ plant, probably because of its thick, waxy cuticle. There have been no reported pests or diseases with this plant.

Availability

You'll find ZZ plants year-round at most nurseries, in sizes ranging from 6- to 10-inch pots.